Author's Notes:

This fanfiction is partially and loosely based on an unfinished Redwall's Legacy RolePlay titled "Finding Friends and Family", and is dedicated to my fellow users Penblade the Bard, FangHeart, and Fernleaf.

Brother Timms and Cellarhog Arland belong to Penblade the Bard. Fernleaf belongs to Fernleaf. All other characters belong to me.

"And the sun took a step back, the leaves lulled themselves to sleep, and autumn was awakened." ~Raquel Franco.

It was the eve of the turning autumn equinox in Mossflower Woods. The grand forest country glimmered in bright ethereal auras of luminescent gold, maroon, hickory, and amber heralding the newcomer season. Towering chestnut trees drooped down towards the pale grass, shedding their tinted leaves onto the already leaf-strewn dirt forest floor. Plants and shrubs spread their flowers wide to meet the morning sun shining unobstructed by the thinning canopy.

Redwall Abbey glowed the brightest above all, a polished red sandstone jewel sparkling in the rising sunlight beaming over the wide eastern horizon. Inside the hallowed halls of Redwall, the inhabitants prepared for their upcoming Nameday Feast.

Deep in the Kitchens of Cavern Hole, the chefs were busy at work, setting about on the honorable task of preparing the most delicious culinary autumn delights ever to grace Mossflower Forest, in preparation for this most epic seasonal feast.

Friar Reylia dashed about from cupboard and cabinet, to counter and stove, and back again, gripping her favorite trusty ladle and spatula. The short pudgy dormouse straightened her askew chef's hat and barked out orders to the cooks at her command.

"So much to do and so little time…Bring out the scallops and brown butter! Juice the lemons and spoon out the capers! Grate the cinnamon and slice the pumpkins! Get that freshly-picked squash nicely peeled, too!"

She twirled a peeler between her fingers and passed it to a young mouse. Twirling around in her apron, she slid to a stop in front of a stove. Frying pans topped every one of its four burners.

"How are the wild mushrooms coming along, Rudmir?" she asked a young black-furred otter who moved around frying mushrooms in his pan using his favorite wooden spoon.

"Nearly done, ma'am," Rudmir replied, nodding and grabbing a bottle of tomato paste. He leaned over the pan and took an inspecting whiff. "Blimey, they're delicious! Can ya pass th' vegetable stock, please?"

"Aye, that I can," Reylia fetched the stock and added it to the tomato paste and mushrooms, along with three-fourths of a teaspoon of salt. "After that, put in a teaspoon of ground flaxseeds and stir for about thirty seconds, lad. I'll ask Arland if he can donate some of his finest wine from his beloved Cellars for you to use."

"Oh, aye, ma'am!" Rudmir started stirring the new mixture.

"Ha!" The young mouse busy peeling squash laughed out loud and shook his head. "What makes you think our good Cellarhog will part with his beloved wine, Friar?"

Reylia waved her spatula around as if to reprimand the mouse. "Don't be going round speaking ill of your elders, Anthony. Arland will listen to me, even if he won't to anybeast else save the Abbot! Now get back to peeling, please, there's a good lad. I need you to cut up that good old squash in half once it's done, eh?"

"Cutting in half it is!" Anthony quickened his peeling pace and Reylia set up his chopping board and knife.

"Reylia!" A bankvole maid came running up to the Friar from the other stove. "Emergency! We don't have enough hazelnuts for the parmesan orecchiette!"

"Not to worry, Diana!" Reylia patted Diana on the head comfortingly. "I sent the Sandeye boy out to fetch some ten minutes ago. He should be along with them shortly."

"A helpful young beast, that Sandeye boy," Diana snickered and dabbed warm sweat away from her brow using the hem of her apron. "Good to see the bloke out of his blacksmith's forge for a change."

"Jared may be a bit stubborn, sure," Reylia nodded, remembering the time the Sandeye brother had burst into her kitchens and asked her to make a special dinner for him and his sister back in midsummer. "But he ain't stupid. Here."

She passed Diana a crate of radishes fresh from the Abbey Gardens. "Go wash and peel these in the meantime, aye? When Jared gets back here, we can carry on with the orecchiette."

"Yes, Friar!" Diana took the crate of radishes and scurried away to the sink.

"Avacyn," Reylia approached a squirrelmaid busy at another stove coating a skillet in oil. "Ready to cook the eggplants?"

Avacyn nodded enthusiastically. "Aye, Friar! Eggplant with cashew butter and pickled peppers? I'm dying to make it!"

"That's the spirit!" Reylia patted Avacyn on the shoulders. She nodded her approval of the well-prepared pickled peppers and cashew butter. "I know you're still quite new to the art of cooking, but you're catching on very well, I say!" She turned and spread her paws to the other chefs. "You're all doing wonderful work!"

"Well, we did have a wonderful teacher!" Rudmir bowed back, adding ground flaxseed to his mushrooms.

Reylia righted her chef's hat a second time at a humble angle and took the compliment in stride. "Thank you most kindly, Rudmir. Now keep it up, everyone!" She clapped her paws together and stamped her feet on the stone floor in unfettered excitement. "It's Nameday and we want to make our beloved Abbot Curtis proud! Let's give it our all and make this a historic feast that will be remembered in Redwall Abbey for generations to come!"

While her cooks occupied themselves with their tasks, Reylia ventured down to the Abbey Cellars.

Cellarhog Arland sat in the center of his beloved Cellar on his favorite stool, his feet perched upon a settle. Casks and barrels stacked and shelved to the low ceiling surrounded him. The hedgehog worked rather annoyedly on affixing a spigot to an oak barrel of sparkling cider.

Sudden footsteps drew his attention. Having been ignorant to her entrance, he jumped in his stool at the sight of the dormouse.

"Land sakes, Friar Reylia!" he exhaled in relief when he saw who had approached him. "You scared me!"

Reylia chuckled and raised her palms apologetically. "My apologies, Arland. I came to ask a favor of our dear Cellarhog if you're not too busy."

"Of course, Reylia," Arland waved around the uncorked bottle of sparkling cider in a welcoming manner. "What can I do for Redwall Abbey's esteemed Friar? The headmistress of Cavern Hole, the culinary artist, and designer of delectable dishes?"

Reylia jerked her thumb at a row of barrels sitting on the floor below a shelf. "I've come to ask to borrow your best white wine, Arland, purely in the interest of the upcoming Autumn Feast, of course."

Arland scratched his chin, his quills bristling from side to side thoughtfully. "Hmm…for the Feast, you say?"

He regarded the spigot and barrel of cider. "Tell you what. Howsabout you share a cup of this fine sparkling cider with me? If you help me finish one cup, the wine's yours."

Reylia bit her lip, considering the offer. "You sure know how to drive a hard bargain, Arland. But I'm afraid I'm desperately short on time. I came for your most refined white wine and I ain't leaving without it."

Arland grinned and snickered, withdrawing the cider and placing it on the floor by his stool. He leaned forward and peered at Reylia as if daring her to persuade him. "Now, what can you do to convince me to give up my specialized white wine, the same that I've spent the last three weeks of summer fermenting under my sharp and watchful eyes? This wine that I share with nobeast else in Redwall save our beloved and esteemed Father Abbot Curtis?"

Reylia smirked and folded her arms, leaning to one side. "If you lend me your white wine, I'll have my cooks make you your absolute favorite autumn dish: eggplants with cashew butter and pickled peppers. I'll even pair it with a shiny glass goblet of that sparkling cider you so passionately enjoy."

At this, Arland huffed and slapped his knee. "Well, chop my quills in half, why don't you? You drive a harder bargain than I do! I dare not refuse my favorite meal, especially at a grand feast! Fine!" He threw his paws up in the air in exasperation. "Take the wine, then. But you'd better save some for me and Curtis for a pre-Feast Day nightcap, okay?"

Reylia burst out laughing and patted Arland on the shoulder. "Thank you most kindly, Arland." She took the spigot and gave it back to the Cellarhog. "You know what, I changed my mind. I'd love to share that delicious cider with you."

Together, the mouse and hedgehog secured the stubborn spigot and cracked open the oak barrel.

"I hear it's going to be quite the seasonal celebration tomorrow," he remarked to Reylia excitedly, pouring out two cups of cider. "The best cuisines from our very Kitchens, surrounded by the aura of autumn, and even many special guests from the Mossflower area will be joining the festivities! What mouthwatering masterpieces should we expect from you and your talented chefs, Reylia?"

Reylia shook her head and lifted her cup to her lips. "I'm spoiling nothing, Arland. You'll have to wait and see like everyone else! I've got my chefs hard at work and we're making this the best feast Redwall Abbey has ever seen in this generation!"

"Well, ain't you just a raincloud on a day of sunshine, eh, Reylia?" Arland hmphed and sipped his cider, pretending to be upset. "Either way," he observed with a nonchalant shrug. "I'm sure you'll impress us nonetheless! Curtis has beset you and your chefs with quite the daunting task, after all. But you've always come away clean and creating something magnificent!"

Reylia snickered and crossed her legs together, leaning back and smirking secretively. "Oh, just you wait and see, Arland. You'll have your mind blown like the rest of Redwall and Mossflower!"

Out in the golden-amber Mossflower Woods, Jared Sandeye had an unusual pep in his step. He'd just returned from his duty of harvesting hazelnuts as requested by the Friar. A wicker basket swung cheerfully under his left arm. The autumn leaves crunched under his sandals and decorated his path back to the Abbey. He leaped up into the branches of an elder tree beside the eastern gates, hopping from branch to branch, ascending higher and higher.

Then Jared grabbed a long green vine, swinging and sliding down with ease from the elder tree clean onto Redwall Abbey's eastern ramparts – all without disturbing the nuts in his wicker basket.

He hurried down from the wall and sprinted straight to Cavern Hole, skidding to a stop at the Kitchens. "Friar Reylia! I have the hazelnuts you wanted!"

"Fantastic!" Reylia appeared out of the kitchens, holding her favorite spatula in one paw and hefting a miniature barrel of white wine under the other arm. Diana followed right behind her.

Reylia looked over and mixed around the collection of hazelnuts in the basket with her spatula. She hummed her acceptance. "Aye, these'll do quite nicely, Jared. You've done marvelously. I knew I could count on you, dear boy."

"What exactly are these nuts for?" Jared asked, furrowing his brow in honest curiosity. "What dishes are they going into?"

But Reylia was already turning him around and pushing him out of the Kitchens. "That's for Feast Day, Jared. I won't have the surprises spoiled before they're served. Thank you again, my lad. You're free to go! Scurry along now, young'un!"

"Wait!" Jared stumbled onto a bench and turned back to face the Kitchens. "Diana! You can tell me! Where are the hazelnuts going – mmf!"

Diana seized a raisin-blueberry scone from a baking pan and stuffed it into Jared's mouth. She laughed and skipped merrily back to her work. "Nope! I ain't telling you! You'll just have to wait like everyone else in Redwall!"

Jared pulled the scone out of his mouth. "Spoilsport," he muttered as he left Cavern Hole.

He emerged into the Front Lawns and found himself surrounded by falling leaves. They spun, twirled, gyrated, and cavorted on their axes in spirals and coils from bare brown tree branches to the ground.

Jared stuffed the raisin-blueberry scone into his mouth, spread his arms wide, and let the leaves fall about him. For a moment, he let himself be lost in the beauty of the forthcoming autumn season. He pulled himself back after a minute and began a casual stroll through the lawns.

Out near the Orchards, large long wooden tables were set up in a cross shape and covered with colorful amber and maroon tablecloths, complemented by autumnal flower centerpieces straight from the greenhouse. Leaves from the ground filled the spaces in between for some extra visual flair.

Jared hopped and spun around, bobbing and weaving through his fellow Abbeydwellers to the melodic interplay of flutes, lutes, drums, tambourines, and fiddles playing outside the Orchard.

"Oy, Jared!" A voice hailed him from the Abbey Pond. "Got a few minutes? I need some help here!"

An ottermaid standing waist-deep in the dark blue water waved at Jared, who hurried right over.

"Weonsia!" Jared greeted the ottermaid. "What do you need help with?"

"Ahoy, matey!" Weonsia flashed Jared a toothy grin, her face glowing. "Have ye heard? Th' Abbot's tasked me wit' catchin' a large trout fer th' Feast tomorrow! I've been out here fer over an hour tryin' t' get me paws on one. But they be feisty, speedy, slippery, little buggers, aye; energetic wrigglers like a ship's steerin' wheel covered in oil. I'm thinkin' anuther set o' paws migh' make th' job easier. Min' lendin' yerself if'n ye're not too busy, Jared?"

Jared shook his head. "Not at all, Weonsia. I'd be happy to help you out!"

Weonsia clapped her paws together and hopped up and down in the water excitedly. "Brilliant! Let's have some fun!"

"I'll grab the boat, shall I?" Jared jumped back onto the grass and started to run to the opposite side of the Pond, where the large fishing boat was anchored, rocking lazily in the current.

But a sudden splash from Weonsia stopped him short. "No need, Jared! We're doin' this th' ol' fashioned way!"

Jared froze where he stood, staring at the ottermaid quizzically. "You want us to catch the fish using our bare paws? Without rod and bait?"

Weonsia heaved a soft sigh of exasperation and facepalmed with a wet paw. "Great seasons, Jared, ye lack an imagination. Look, just get in th' bloody pon' an' follow my lead, 'kay?"

Jared didn't need to be told twice. He stripped off his shirt and trousers and tossed them into the boat, wading back into the water wearing only his undergarments. He submerged himself waist-deep the same as Weonsia. The cool water lapped at his hips and stomach as he washed his dirt-coated fur.

"Righ', then." Weonsia visored her eyes and began scanning the water thoroughly. "Let's catch ourselves a trout!"

Jared stood still in the water, not wanting to disturb the current. He obeyed when Weonsia directed him to scour a particular corner of the Pond. Several uneventful minutes passed in silence, broken only by the water lapping up against the Pond's stone frame. Finally –

"There!"

Weonsia dove deep under the water. Jared took a deep breath and followed. The waves created by their dives rocked the unused wooden boat up and down as it sat tethered to the dock. A couple of minutes passed in silence. The Pond surface lay unbroken.

A crowd of Redwallers gathered around the perimeter, many expressions anxious and worried; others excited and expectant. Even the Mossflower musicians stopped playing and hurried over to see the commotion. All chatted amongst themselves exchanging words of concern and comfort.

Suddenly, the center of the Pond exploded in a glorious upward splash as Weonsia and Jared dramatically resurfaced, holding a magnificent 3-pound rainbow trout between their arms.

"Hold on tigh', Jared, we've almost got 'im!"

"I'll wrap my arms around his body so he can't escape! Watch his tail!"

Together, they wrangled the fiercely squirming fish desperate to return to the water. Ottermaid and squirrel laughed and gripped the trout tightly, enduring rhythmic smacks from its wide whipping tail. Once they both had a secure grip, Jared called out to the crowd that had assembled around the Pond.

"Mother Lunafreya!"

Lunafreya, Redwall's resident Badgermum, pushed her way through the gathered throng and clambered into the Pond. The water scarcely reached her waist as she waded her way to the fish-fighting pair. She took the beautiful rainbow trout in her arms, not minding her wet clothes.

"Let go now, you fearless fisherbeasts! This'un is going straight to the Kitchens!"

She clamped her iron jaws around the trout's tail to hold it still. To wild applause and praise, the Badgermaid carried the trout out of the Pond onto dry land. Holding it firmly between her paws, she returned triumphantly inside the Abbey, followed by the cheering Redwallers.

Weonsia spread her arms wide, hopping on the spot. "We did it, Jared! We caught a trout for th' Abbot!"

Jared laughed and smoothed back his wet headfur. "Yes, Weonsia, and we did it together!" He let the ottermaid pull him into a big bear hug and gladly hugged her back.

"What in the name of Martin is causing all this ruckus?" Sister Fanistra appeared from within the crowd, wearing her gardener's apron. By her side was Madeline, Jared's sister, also clad in her gardener's clothes. "Can't you please keep it down and let our poor dear flowers grow in silence?"

Madeline burst out laughing at the sight of her undressed dripping wet brother climbing out of the Pond, followed by Weonsia. "What on earth were you doing, Jared?"

Jared decorated kisses on his sister's face. "We were catching a fish for the Nameday Feast tomorrow, Madeline! What does it look like I was doing?"

Madeline gladly returned the kisses, running her fingers through her brother's fur. "Well, you certainly made a lot of noise doing it. I don't think my flowers will be happy about that."

"Oh, yeah?" Jared chuckled and hugged Madeline around the waist, who wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well, my blacksmith forge is certainly unhappy that I'm not in it right now."

"What an incredible feat!" exclaimed a gray squirrel, Brother Jonathan, the Abbey Recorder. He passed towels to the fisherbeast pair. "What a dramatic fight between beasts and fish! Had me on the edge of my seat, you two did! Perhaps even legendary enough to rival the young Matthias when he and Brother Mordalfus once caught that fully-grown 2-pound grayling in days of old!"

"Her idea!" Jared jerked his thumb in a congratulatory manner towards Weonsia before she disappeared behind her towel. "She needed an extra set of paws, and fortunately, I was in a position to provide."

Jonathan grinned from ear to ear and laughed heartily. "Oh, no doubt about that." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "This is going into the history books for sure!"

Weonsia sprinted towards the Abbey. "C'mon, let's go check on th' trout! I wanna see what Friar Reylia says about it!" She dashed away back to the Abbey. Paw in paw, Jared and Madeline followed.

The Tapestry of Martin the Warrior glowed in the sunlight filtering into the Great Hall through the stained-glass windows. Weonsia sprinted right by without giving it a second thought. Jared and Madeline walked unhurriedly behind her.

"Sandeyes…"

Jared and Madeline froze instantly in place. Both turned to face the image of Martin the Warrior.

Madeline looked sideways at her brother. "Was he talking to you?"

Jared stared back at his sister, equally confused. "I thought he was talking to you."

Madeline glanced at the Tapestry, then back at Jared. "Perhaps he was talking to both of us. Is that what you were doing, Martin?" she called out to the picture of the legendary warrior mouse. "Were you talking to both of us?"

"Autumn…is coming…" was all that Martin said in response.

The Sandeye siblings exchanged perplexed, baffled glances between each other.

"Autumn is coming?" Madeline repeated. "What could Martin possibly mean?"

"That's not important right now," Jared reassured her in a distracted hurry. He began running again. "Come on, we've got a feast to prepare for!"

Back in Cavern Hole, Reylia once again came out of the Kitchens to examine the freshly-caught fish.

"A smashing good rainbow trout!" She praised the two fish fighters proudly. "Aye, Abbot Curtis will love this. Did you catch this by yourselves? No rod and bait?" she asked Weonsia and Jared. "Using your bare paws alone?"

"Aye, that we did!" Weonsia elbowed Jared beside her, and the squirrel smiled brightly.

"Marvelous!" Reylia shook each of their paws vigorously, thankfully. "Very well done indeed!"

She and her four chefs hoisted the rainbow trout onto a cart and wheeled it into the Kitchens. Reylia turned over her shoulder and winked at the two proud fisherbeasts.

"Just you wait. Your fierce fish-fighting will be rewarded, I promise. We're going to transform this trout here into an autumn seafood masterpiece!"

The Abbeydwellers dispersed, and Jared, Madeline, and Weonsia returned outside. Weonsia draped her towel over her head like a hood. Her eyes widened into a sudden portrait of surprise.

Jared gaped at her, furrowing his brow. "Weonsia? What's wrong? Is everything all right?"

Weonsia pointed ahead at a figure emerging from the Orchard. "Look who just showed up, Jared."

Jared followed her gesture. Immediately his face grew hot as a red blush colored his cheeks.

A thin, svelte brown squirrelmaid had sat down on a wooden bench outside the Orchard. She wore a simple olive-green dress, similar to the novice's habit of Redwall Abbey. A red aster lay angled behind her right ear. Jared watched entranced as she smoothed out the folds of her tunic and brushed back her long auburn-tinted headfur behind her ears.

"Well?" Weonsia teased him with a toothy grin. "Ain'tcha gonna go say 'ello t' 'er?"

"What?!" Jared protested incredulously. "Go say hello, are you crazy?" he stammered, blushing from his cheeks to his neck. "I-I'm not even dressed!"

"Doesn't matter!" Madeline grabbed Jared by the shoulders and pushed him forward in the other squirrelmaid's direction. "Off you go!"

Jared pulled up his trousers over his waist, smoothed out his fur, and gulped, trying to stand up straight. Weonsia folded his towel over her arm. Both she and Madeline watched as Jared hesitantly crossed over into the Orchard.

"He's hopeless," Madeline remarked, shaking her head, unable to hold back a laugh.

"Aye, I know 'e is," Weonsia snickered, picking a maple leaf out of Madeline's hair. "That's why I encouraged 'im!"

Madeline put her paws on her hips and pretended to shake her head disapprovingly at the ottermaid. "Well, if he makes a fool of himself, at least I'll be there to help him deal with it."

"You're a righ' good sister, Madeline," Weonsia patted Madeline on the shoulders. "Jared is blessed t' have such a lovin' siblin'."

She fetched Jared's shirt from the boat and tossed it to Madeline. Then she slid her wicker sandals back on her feet and wiped the last of the water from her fur, draping her towel over her back. "I'm gonna go get meself a change o' clothes."

Jared approached the young auburn squirrelmaid, who leaned back on the bench, raising her head to the sky and closing her eyes, basking in the sunlight, her paws in her lap. As Jared drew nearer, she opened her eyes and turned to look at him.

"Well, hello, Jared," Larina greeted him warmly, her face glowing. "A surprise to see you here in the Orchard." A light pink blush also colored her cheeks at the sight of his shirtless form. She fought the urge to look him up from his broad bare shoulders down to his flat stomach.

"Hello, Larina," Jared returned her greeting bashfully, ruffling the back of his head and averting his gaze, his blush deepening. "It's…it's good to see you, too."

"Don't just stand there gawking and making a fool of yourself, Jared," Larina patted the space beside her on the bench. "Come and sit down. Rest your legs. Join me in enjoying this glorious sunlight."

Jared breathed a sigh of relief and gladly sat down beside Larina, though still very much nervous. Larina's giggle at his anxious antics enchanted his ears. He turned and met her eyes, a shining pair of hazel jewels in the sun. Larina gave him a warm, reassuring, welcoming smile, and he felt himself smiling back, thankful, soft, and gentle.

"So, Jared," Larina crossed one leg over the other and rested her paws on her knee, looking over the male squirrel curiously. "What are you doing out here? You're not at your blacksmith's forge?"

"No, I'm not," Jared shook his head. "To be honest, I'm taking today off to help prepare for the Nameday Feast. Tomorrow, too, as that's Feast Day. I'll go back to the forge on the weekend."

"That's quite generous of you, Jared," Larina nodded her understanding. Her admiring eyes began roving over his bare chest outlined by the sunlight down to his slim, flat torso. "Oh, no, please don't be embarrassed," she hastily added at his mortified expression, instinctively wrapping his arms around his chest. "I think you look perfect."

"Okay…" Jared blinked and laid his arms by his sides. "Well, um, thank you," was all he could say. "I mean, Madeline would certainly agree with you," he added at length.

Larina giggled innocently and said nothing. Jared watched as the sun's rays danced merrily on the petals of the red aster behind her ear, its golden light twinkling in her hazel eyes. He lost all trace of thought and presence as those pair of green-brown pools drew him in like bright lights in a dense fog. Larina unconsciously reached out her paw to touch his bare fur.

Her fingers grazed his chest. Her sudden velvety touch brought him back to reality. He flinched, and she gasped in surprise and quickly withdrew her paw.

"I'm sorry!" they exclaimed in unison.

"I didn't mean to stare!" Jared apologized rapidly, his blush growing anew.

"No, no, it's my fault!" Larina reassured him, drawing back shamefully. "I should've asked for your permission first!" She too blushed pink from her cheeks to her neck.

"Oh, my goodness," Larina dropped her face into her palms. "I'm so, so sorry, Jared…"

Jared lightly touched his fur where Larina had laid her paw. A warm touch coursed through him like an adrenaline current. A sigh of comfort escaped him.

"Larina, it's all right," he told Larina in a reassuring tone. "No harm is done. You acted on instinct. Please don't apologize."

Larina tentatively lifted her head and met Jared's brown eyes, strong yet soothing, defined yet casual, well befitting the squirrel who wore them.

"So, um, what are the Redwallers doing later?" Jared asked, leaning back on the bench and laying one arm across the back. "I ask because this will be me and Madeline's first Nameday Feast. What should we expect?"

Larina exhaled in relief and perked up. "Everyone's going to gather in the dormitories later tonight. They'll be telling stories and playing some small games. There won't be supper so Reylia and her chefs can have time to prepare the Feast, so you should expect some light snacks."

"Right…" Jared hid his blushing behind his paw and turned away, moving to stand up. "Um, I guess I'll see you there?"

"Yes…" Larina watched after him wistfully. "I'll see you and Madeline there tonight."

"Um…" Jared gulped and folded his arms protectively over his chest. "I'm going to go fetch myself a change of clothes. See you later, Larina."

"You, too, Jared," Larina gave him a friendly, warm smile. "Do try to take care of yourself, okay?"

Jared's heart skipped a beat in his chest. He stared at Larina, agape. "Er…yeah, I—I will."

"Miz Larina!" called a voice from the Orchard. "Can yew please 'elp oi 'arvest dese figs?"

"Yes, Sister Amelia!" Larina called back, hopping to her feet and smoothing out her green tunic. "I'll be there straight away! Goodbye, Jared. Take care!" She blew a flirtatious kiss to Jared before disappearing back into the Orchard.

"Goodbye!" Jared blurted out before he could stop himself.

His ears twitched at the sound of Madeline giggling. Collecting his wits, he pivoted on his heels and made his way back to her.

"I feel like such an idiot!" he grumbled angrily to Madeline, hanging his head and sighing in exasperation.

Madeline finished laughing and threw Jared his shirt. As he donned it, she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Come with me back to the greenhouse, Jared. I've got an idea."

Sister Fanistra lifted her watering can over a row of flowering celosias and pansies when the greenhouse door opened. A loving grin spread across the harvest mousemaid's face at the newcomers.

"Jared!" Fanistra put the watering can aside on the table and pulled Jared into her arms. "Good to see you, dear boy!"

"Hello, Sister Fanistra," Jared welcomed the hug rather distractedly, embracing her back.

"Why, whatever is the matter with you, sweetheart?" Fanistra released Jared and furrowed her brow in concern. "You sound very out of it."

"My brother made a fool of himself in front of a lovely squirrelmaid earlier today," Madeline explained ever so casually, taking up the watering can and watering a box of asters and dianthuses.

"Oh?" Fanistra raised an eyebrow, curious. "Who was it? Do tell! I want to hear every detail, you two!"

"Larina Skyleaf," Jared ruffled the back of his head nervously and sheepishly straightened his clothes. "I couldn't help myself; I was so flustered!"

He clasped his head and slumped into the chair in dazed embarrassment, hanging his head. "I couldn't keep my eyes off her, and now that we've talked for the day, I can't get her out of my head! She has the most beautiful hazel eyes like deep pools you can get lost in and the smoothest auburn fur. She also wore a red aster behind one ear that glows when the sunlight hits it at the right angle, and-,"

"Asters, like these?" Fanistra gestured to a box of watered red and yellow asters.

"Yes, like those!" Jared nodded, now thoroughly flustered. "They radiate like magic when the sun hits them just right, and today Larina wore one behind her left ear. It looked gorgeous! She looked gorgeous! I-I mean, um…"

"Ah…" Fanistra rubbed her chin the same as Madeline had, smiling knowingly and observing her poor young charge. "I think I know what's going on here."

"I made a complete fool of myself, is what's going on here!" Jared shouted out loud, though more out of awkwardness than anger.

"Oh, Jared, my dear boy," Fanistra sympathetically took Jared in her arms again, rubbing the back of his head. "I think you've got a crush on that Skyleaf girl."

"I knew it!" Madeline burst out laughing over a box of purple and white alyssums.

"I do not have a crush on Larina!" Jared protested at Madeline over Fanistra's shoulder. "No! How could you possibly reach that conclusion?"

"Are you sure about that?" Fanistra looked down sympathetically, her smile motherly. "Search your heart, Jared. Do you believe you don't have a crush on that Larina girl?"

"I-," Jared started to say, but then stopped, looking away and thinking, staring absentmindedly out of the greenhouse's glass tilt-and-turn windows. "I've…"

He chose his words carefully.

"I've never actually thought about it, to be honest." He then proceeded to tell her everything about their short and flustered encounter in the Orchard.

"You know what, Jared?" Fanistra placed a comforting paw on Jared's head after he finished, between his squirrel ears. "Your feelings are perfectly normal, my sweetheart."

She began stroking his hair, smoothing out his headfur. "It's all a part of growing up, a part of being a normal creature, and a natural beast. Your feelings make you who you are. Please don't be afraid to feel them. You may not understand them and what they mean now, but in time, you will. When the stars align in the night sky, you'll come to know the truth of your feelings."

"You think so?" Jared whispered his confusion to the harvest mouse.

Fanistra leaned down and kissed Jared tenderly on the forehead. "Oh, Jared. I know so." She gave him one last hug and released him.

"Would you like to help us while you're here? Bethany is busy helping in Cavern Hole and won't be able to make it today. Would you like to substitute for her?"

Jared gladly nodded and rolled up his shirt sleeves. "Sure, I'd love to help. Anything to help pass the time."

"Wonderful!" Fanistra clapped her paws together and went to fetch Jared an apron from the cabinet. "Let me get you something to wear and then you can help your sister with the trimmings."

As Jared and Madeline set about trimming the flowers, Jared voiced his inner thoughts to his sister.

"Madeline, do you think I'm good enough for Larina?" he asked, meticulously snipping stray leaves from the asters. "Do you think she could like me back?"

"Well," Madeline thought out loud and cleaned out the detritus from the chrysanthemum flowerpots. "If you ask me, I think you're more than good enough for her." She looked up and smiled lovingly at him, standing up on her tiptoes and pecking him on the nose. "You'll always be more than good enough for me, my dear brother."

"I want to prove myself to her!" Jared gathered the detritus and dropped it in a burlap sack. "That's all, nothing more."

"I think you've already proven yourself to her, Jared," Madeline remarked, smoothing out the chrysanthemums and flattening the soil. "You proved your physical strength to her already when you helped Weonsia catch that rainbow trout. I think that certainly made an impression on her. Besides," she winked teasingly at him. "She got to see you without your shirt, too." She playfully poked his chest. "The same eye candy I get from you every single night."

"Very funny, Maddie," Jared smirked and poked her in return, eliciting an adorable little giggle from his younger sibling.

"I'm sure the time will soon come when you'll get the chance to prove all of your strength, Jared," Fanistra reassured him, opening up a bag of plant-based fertilizer. "In more ways than one, I promise you."

Jared laughed out loud and returned to his work. Yet for the remainder of the workday, he could not banish Larina from the forefront of his mind.

"Every time I close my eyes, she's there," he told Madeline. "I can't stop thinking about her." He wore a dreamy expression as they moved onto trimming and cleaning the blue and white alyssums. "I need to get my mind off her. How've you been, sis?"

"I've been doing great, Jared," Madeline gestured around at the greenhouse. "Just working here all day. I'm so glad you're taking today and Feast Day off from the forge. I know how you love it there."

"I'm just happy to see that you're not working yourself too hard, sis," Jared wrapped an arm around Madeline, who sighed contently and laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as he stroked her face the way she liked it. "I certainly don't want you to end up like me, obsessed with work at the expense of everything else."

"Yeah, I know," Madeline nodded, suddenly dropping her favorite trowel in an uncharacteristically inattentive manner. Jared caught it before it landed in a patch of freshly-laid fountain grass.

"Maddie, are you okay?" Jared stood up straight, staring concernedly at his sister. He placed the trowel in the pocket of her apron.

"Is something the matter, dear Madeline?" Fanistra put down the bag of fertilizer and went up to Madeline, putting her arms on Madeline's shoulders.

"I'm okay…" Madeline softly brushed her paws over a collection of blossoming marigolds. "I look at these flowers and I realize…I'm also coming to that point in my life where I need to start being…"

She glanced down anxiously at her chest, likewise budding beneath her apron. "Aware…of things."

"Oh, I know what this means," Jared wrapped his empathetic arms around his sister's waist, resting his paws on her tender stomach. "It means my baby sister is growing up." He kissed her on the cheek and held her close to him.

Madeline smiled and hummed cheerfully, leaning into her brother's loving embrace. She reached up and stroked his cheek. "Might I remind you, Jared, that I'm fourteen. I'm not quite a baby anymore. You know that."

"Of course I do, Maddie," Jared planted a peck on Madeline's palm. "But it doesn't matter to me how old you grow; you'll always be my little baby sister."

"Absolutely," Madeline laughed and picked up a flowerpot. "Now, then," she turned to Jared and placed the flowerpot between his paws. "Now, I bet you'll be wanting a little something to give to Larina, won't you?"

Jared gaped at the flower in the pot: a blooming pink chrysanthemum. He looked back up at Madeline blankly.

"You're crazy."

"I know," Madeline brushed her hair behind her ears and winked innocently. "But I'm a good kind of crazy; a crazy that gets the job done. Now go out there and impress your girlfriend, loverboy!"

"Larina is not my girlfriend!" Jared protested loudly as Madeline pushed him out of the greenhouse. "And I am not her boyfriend!"

"Not yet!" Madeline couldn't contain her laughter, knocking her brother out the door. "But you'll soon be!"